A schedule of more than 20 tournaments, including a four-event season-ending playoff format, is being conducted for the fourth year by the ACGT. The events regularly draw more than 100 players, so why add to it?

“We wanted a public golf champion, on a public course,” ACGT Tour commissioner Travis Salkwoski said, noting the SA Pub Links. “We wanted all the pomp and circumstance that comes with a big golf event. A trophy, shirts, everything else. Brack is the obvious place to have events like the Public Links and the Ryder Cup competition. We hope we can add to some of the traditions we’re establishing here.”

There are no residence restrictions to the Pub Links, and play is not restricted to ACGT Tour players. There are competition divisions for gross scores and net scores.

Salkowski said he hopes the field, which again will easily exceed 100 players, will draw at least 25 percent from outside ACGT membership.

“The people at HAGA thought it was an amazing idea,” Salkowski said. “Everyone on the ACGT Tour is talking about it. It’s gotten considerable buzz here.”

There may be a few challenges to both events, at least perhaps in perception.

The Public Links format got a death sentence nationally when the USGA dropped its U.S. Amateur Public Links after this year’s event. It was perceived as an event for college players where no “bonafide” public links player had a chance to win.

The ACGT’s version likely won’t have that problem. The USGA event, including qualifying, is conducted in the summer when college players have their “off season” for team competitions and are looking for individual events. The San Antonio Public Links Golf Championship, with the late-September play dates, will come when most area college golfers and teams are in action.

The Ryder Cup-style competition will require one team to travel every year — the San Antonio squad is scheduled to travel to Houston next year. But Salkowski said he is looking for a team sponsor along the lines of a corporate sponsor that has signed on for ACGT Tour events to help with travel costs.

The Ryder Cup-style event came to Salkowski from a suggestion by ACGT Tour participant Jonathan Aken.

“Travis is so good about taking feedback and input from golfers on our tour,” Aken said. “I told him I thought the other team event that’s out there for San Antonio golfers playing against another team from out of town really didn’t reach out to all golfers, guys from the best to others who have a higher handicap.

“Any golfer has an equal opportunity to make this team and play against an association in Houston that mirrors the ACGT in a lot of ways.”

The hope is that after Brack gets the run at the Ryder Cup team event, Houston will be able to host the event next year at Memorial Park Golf Course. But Salkowski said there are some hurdles with city bylaws in Houston that restrict tournament play on weekends at Memorial.

“But having it at Brack first will help us,” Aken said. “We can show them how it can be pulled off.”

Salkowski said the 16-man ACGT team will consist of 10 automatic qualifiers and three “captain’s choices.” The top five players from the ACGT Tour spring standings, the top five from the summer standings and three top finishers in the Tour playoffs are automatic qualifiers. Salkowski said the remaining three players will come from the automatic qualifiers picking from ACGT resumes (no names will be listed on the resumes, and one resume from each of the three competition flights will be chosen).

“I’m hoping this will be a family event, just like it is with the PGA at the Ryder Cup, where the wives and girlfriends and kids are there cheering right beside the green,” Aken said. “It would be fantastic.”